South Florida fired Coach Charlie Strong (Batesville, University of Central Arkansas) on Sunday after three seasons in which the Bulls won fewer games each year.
South Florida made the move two days after finishing a 4-8 season with a blowout loss to rival Central Florida. That left Strong 21-16 overall, but 4-14 since starting the 2018 season with seven consecutive victories.
"I have tremendous respect for Coach Strong and his dedication to recruiting and developing young men of talent and character and leading them with integrity. He has represented USF with dignity and class and we wish Coach and his family the very best," South Florida Athletic Director Michael Kelly said in a statement.
The former Texas and Louisville coach was hired by South Florida to replace Willie Taggart after the 2016 season.
Strong led the Bulls to a 10-2 record in that first year in Tampa behind star quarterback Quinton Flowers. After starting 7-0 in 2018, the Bulls ended the season with six consecutive losses, and this season has been filled with lopsided losses.
The 59-year-old Strong, who was a longtime defensive coordinator in the SEC with plenty of recruiting ties to the state of Florida, is 74-53 overall in 10 seasons as a head coach.
South Florida has been playing major college football for 23 years and has had some high-level success, with 10 seasons of eight victories or more and 10 bowl appearances.
FOOTBALL
Ole Miss fires Luke
Mississippi fired football Coach Matt Luke on Sunday, three days after his third nonwinning season ended with a rivalry game loss. Athletic Director Keith Carter said in a statement the decision to change coaches was made after evaluating the trajectory of the program and not seeing see enough "momentum on the field." Luke, a former Ole Miss offensive lineman and assistant coach, was elevated to interim head coach about two weeks before preseason practice started in 2017 when Mississippi fired Hugh Freeze. Luke guided the Rebels, who were already banned from the postseason by the NCAA, to a 6-6 record that helped him land a four-year deal through 2021. With the program facing another bowl ban in 2018 and other NCAA sanctions, Luke and the Rebels went 5-7. Ole Miss finished this season 4-8, including a 21-20 loss on Thanksgiving night to Mississippi State.
Heisman winner dies
Pat Sullivan, the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn who went on to coach TCU and Samford, has died. He was 69. Sullivan's family released a statement saying he "died peacefully at home" Sunday morning, surrounded by relatives. The former quarterback was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2003, and the statement said he "fought a long and difficult battle as a result of his treatments." Sullivan was a College Football Hall of Famer who played four seasons with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, wrapping up his playing career in 1976 with the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. He was on the search committee when Auburn hired Coach Gus Malzahn. Sullivan led the nation in total offense as a junior in 1970, teaming up with wide receiver Terry Beasley to pass for 2,586 yards. He passed for 2,012 yards and a career-best 20 touchdowns as a senior, securing the Heisman with a 248-yard, 4-touchdown performance against Georgia.
Franks to leave Gators
Injured quarterback Feleipe Franks is leaving Florida to explore other options. Franks announced his decision on social media Sunday, a day after the Gators beat rival Florida State 40-17 in the Swamp. The 6-6 Franks dislocated and fractured his right ankle in a victory at Kentucky in September. He is expected to be sidelined for at least six months. The recovery time and the emergence of backup Kyle Trask made Franks' chances of regaining the starting job in 2020 a long shot. A fourth-year junior, Franks completed 59% of his passes for 4,593 yards. He had 38 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions. He also ran for eight scores.
BC parts with Addazio
Boston College fired Coach Steve Addazio on Sunday after seven seasons in which the Eagles never surpassed seven wins. Wide receivers coach Rich Gunnell will serve as interim coach. Addazio was 44-44 since taking over in 2013, reaching bowl eligibility for the sixth time in seven years after beating Pittsburgh 26-19 on Saturday. Boston College won seven games in five of his first six seasons, but he could never get the Eagles back to the level they reached in the early 2000s.
Schiano, Rutgers reunite
Greg Schiano is going back to Rutgers. Athletic director Pat Hobbs announced Sunday that the university and Schiano reached a contract agreement a week after talks to bring back the 53-year-old former coach fell apart. "The next great chapter for Rutgers Football is about to begin," Hobbs said in a statement. The contract still must be approved by the school's board of governors. It is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the hiring. Both sides walked away from negotiations and declared the possibility of a reunion dead a week ago. Schiano was coach at Rutgers from 2001-11. He built a program that was one of the worst in major college football into a consistent winner. The Scarlet Knights went to a bowl game in six of Schiano's final seven seasons.
GOLF
Larrazabal avoids collapse
Pablo Larrazabal won the European Tour's season-opening Alfred Dunhill Championship on Sunday after losing a three-shot overnight lead, then making three birdies on his last four holes for a dramatic one-stroke victory in Malelane, South Africa. Larrazabal birdied the par-5 No. 18 as the Spaniard finished 8 under overall and just ahead of Sweden's Joel Sjoholm. The 36-year-old Larrazabal's victory at Leopard Creek Country Club came at the event where he started his professional career 12 years ago. Sjoholm's final-round 69 almost saw him through to his first European Tour victory. Charl Schwartzel (70) finished tied for third at 6 under. Branden Grace (73) and Wil Besseling (74) were also in that tie for third. Besseling led or held a share of the lead through much of the final round, but he made bogey on the last hole after his approach flew too far and landed among some rocks behind the green.
MOTOR SPORTS
Hamilton 7 wins from top
World champion Lewis Hamilton cruised to victory from pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, capping another stellar season with an 11th victory and 84th overall. The six-time Formula One champion is now seven wins behind seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher's record of 91, which he could realistically overtake next season. After he made a clean start from a record-extending 88th career pole, Hamilton was untroubled as he won on the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for the fifth time -- four with Mercedes and once when driving for McLaren in 2011. He finished about 17 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Sports on 12/02/2019